Diamagnetic separator.



No. 731,038. PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903;

E. GATES.

DIAMAGNETIG SEPARATORH AAAAAAAAA 01': nun MAB. 1, 1900. RENEWED JAN. 1a, 1903.

PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.

E. GATES. DIAMAGNETIG SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED HA3. 1, 1900. RENEWED JAN. 13, 1903.

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UNITE Patented June 16, 1903.

PATENT Erica.

ELMER GATES, or oriEvY cH-AsnM R AND, ssrenon To THEODOREJ. MAYER,*OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

LD M GN-ET s; PA-R'AT-OR- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7 31,038, dated June I6, 1903.

Application filed March l, 1900. Renewed January 13, 1903- Serial No. 1381820.

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that'l, ELMER GATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chevy Chase,

in the county of Montgomery, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Diamagn etic Separators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inven-- tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In an application for Letters Patent of the United States filed by me September 26,1899,

Serial No. 731,762, I have described and claimed a method of separating diamagnetic particles from diamagnetic particles of varying diamagnetic susceptibility from each other by feeding the material into a relatively intense part of a magneticfield and continuing it in the magnetic field until the particles of greater dialongitudinal section thereof with the.feedhopper in place and with the magnet tilted,

so as to slightly'incline the pole-pieces. Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of another form or modification of the apparatus with the feed-hopper removed. Fig. 4 represents a central longitudinal section thereof with the feed-hopper in place.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, 11 indicates the yoke, J the energizing-coils, and F the'cores, of a powerful electromagnet, said cores diminishing in cross-sectional area at their polar extremities, so as to concentrate the magnetic field across the interpolar space, which is long and narrow, as shown.

In practicing the invention it is preferable,

a mixture containing them on (No model! for reasons set forth in an accompanying application of even date herewitlnto slightly incline the magnetic field. This may be accomplished by mounting the forward end of the magnet upon a saddle A, upon which, as afulcrum, it can be permitted to tilt to the desired inclination by means of the adjust- ;ing-screw B. The feed-hopper K is located in such manner with respect to the tapering pole-pieces that it will drop the material to be separated into the magnetic field at a point slightly in advance of the central axis thereof, as indicated in Fig. 2. As a consequence the diamagnetic particles afiected by the lines of force move outwardly, ultimately falling into the receiving -hopper L as heads, while the accompanying inert materiahsuch as sand, falls vertically into the hopper M as tailings. The slight inclination given to the magnetic field is accompanied with theadvantage that the particles of gold or like material of higher diamagnetic susceptibility receive a continuing increment of their initial deflection, the intense portion of the magnetic field, in effect, following them outwardly as they descend toward the hopper L, and thereby giving them a wider and cleaner separationfrom the main body of the mass.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and i the yoke II, the bobbins J, and the cores F are of similar construction and relationship as the corresponding yoke, bobbins, and cores of the form or modification shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In this instance, however, the inclination of the pole-pieces f is obtained by making said pole-pieces of an inclined shape. The pole-pieces f may, if desired, be made separate from the main body portion of the cores F and may be removably fitted thereto by dovetail joints or otherwise, as shown. Moreover, the said pole-pieces may i be given any desired. taper by meansof wedge shape ends f, also fitted in dovetail grooves. These end pieces f are made removable, so that others may be substituted for them having different tapers, if desired. It is of course manifest that any alteration in the otherwise permanent inclination of the magnetic field of the apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and i may be obtained by providing the magnet with the saddle and adjusting screw of IOC.

adjustments are made possible because of the fact that the cores F are fitted to the yokes I-I thro ugh the instrum entality of dovetail joints and that the pole-pieces f are fitted to the cores F in like manner.

It will be noted that the polar faces of the magnetic cores in both forms or modifications of the invention are of the same height as the cores themselves. They therefore establish a uniform magnetic field from top to bottom of the interpolar space, while the great carrying capacity of the yokes and cores permits the formation-of highly-concentrated lines of force, peculiarly adapted to the practice of my invention, across the narrow gap.

\Vhile I prefer to give the .magnetic field the slight inclination illustrated, yet I may give to the magnetic field a vertical adjustment, as indicated in my application, Serial No. 7 31, 762, hereinbefore referred to, in which event the feed and receiving hoppers occupy positions similar to those shown in said application. In fact, so far as I am aware, it is broadly new to effect the separation of ,diamagnetic substances from a mixture containing them or diam agnetic substances of vary-' ing susceptibility from each other by dropping them into a lon narrow inter polar space, wh ether the said interpolar space is vertical or slightlyinclined. I desire, therefore, that my invention shall have a correspondingly-broad interpretation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A diamagnetic separator, comprising an electromagnet having vertically arranged pole-pieces separated by a long narrow interpolar space, and means for dropping into said space the material to be separated, said polepieces being slightly inclined from the vertical transversely to the path of the falling material, substantially as described.

2. A diamagnetic separator, comprising an electromagnet having vertically arranged pole-pieces separated by a long narrow interpolar space, and means for dropping into said space the'material to be separated, said polepieces being slightly inclined from the vertical transversely to the path of the falling material, and means for varying the inclination of the pole-pieces, substantially as described.

3. A diamagnetic separator, comprising an electromagnet having vertically arranged pole-pieces separated from each other by a long narrow interpolar space, said pole-pieces being inclined from the vertical transversely to thepath of the falling material, a feedhopper arranged to discharge the material into the upper portion of the field, and in advance of the center of the upper portion of the field, a tailings-hopper located in rear of the center of the lower portion of the field and below the discharge-chute of the feedhopper, and a heads-hopper located in front of and proximate to the tailings-hopper; substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELMER GATES.

itnesses JOHN (J. PENNIE,

J. E. HUTOHINSON, Jr. 

